President Ford pledged anew today his support for a “strong Israel” in outlining his views on the Middle East “negotiating process” and promised “legislation if necessary,” to oppose the Arab economic boycott.
Addressing 1500 delegates at the B’nai B’rith international Convention at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Ford also said he was working with Soviet Communist Party Secretary Leonid I. Brezhnev and key members of Congress to restore Soviet Jewish emigration to its previous levels. He also said he was supporting “international action to stamp out terrorism wherever. it occurs,” and promised U.S. support for Israel against “attempts to deny Israel her full rights of membership in the United Nations.”
On domestic issues, he said that he sees “no excuse whatsoever for arbitrary quotas on the basis of race, religion, national origin, employment and education.” On this point, Ford said “in the name of justice for some, we must not do injustice to others. Opportunity should be open to all Americans on an equal basis.”
Charging that his Presidential rival, Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter, “apparently” had “kicked off the debates” with him unofficially by his address yesterday afternoon to the same audience, the President broke up what he called his prepared “appropriately non-partisan speech” with remarks including his additional pledge on the Arab boycott, and inserted his remarks on his activity on Soviet Jewry.
NO IMPOSED SOLUTIONS
Challenging Carter’s remarks on Israel, Ford said Israel “is one of our traditional allies and our ties have never been closer or stronger.” Declaring that he intends to pursue the “negotiating process” in the Middle East, Ford said that course is “right for America, right for Israel, right for the Arabs, indeed right for all the peoples throughout this world.”
Cautioning that “I do not promise you it will be easy,” the President said that there will be “no imposed solutions–but agreements whose terms are hammered out between the parties, as in the Sinai agreement.”
He also pledged that there would be “no one-sided concessions–but a balanced quid pro quo in exchange for what is given up. We will proceed, as we did before, in the closest constant consultation with Israel before, during and after any negotiations.” Declaring that he was “proud to stand on my consistent 28-year record of support for Israel,” Ford pointed out that the United States “will stand firm in its commitment to Israel’s security and survival.”
Denouncing Carter’s criticism of U.S. arms sales abroad, Ford said “most of our arms go to key countries like Israel and Iran.” He asked whether Carter wanted “the Soviet Union to have a monopoly” on the sale of weapons and wants “arms for moderate as well as radical countries.” The President did not mention sales to Saudi Arabia, which have evoked controversy in the Congress.
PROUD OF ANTI-BOYCOTT RECORD
Pointing to the Arab boycott, the President said “this involves both moral and legal questions, domestic as well as international issues. It is easy to escalate emotionally but not nearly so easy to resolve rationally.”
Saying that as President he had “taken the strongest executive action in American history against foreign economic practices that discriminate against American citizens,” Ford said that his campaign of administrative orders and regulations “together with careful diplomacy and the efforts of individual United States firms, has resulted in easing of boycott practices and an effective end to open discrimination.”
Interpolating the words “if necessary legislation,” in his prepared remarks. Ford added that he was determined “to make further progress” against such discrimination. This interpolation apparently was in consideration of reports that since high Administration officials oppose the stiff anti-boycott legislation now before the Congress, the legislation may be subjected to a Presidential veto.
B’nai B’rith President David Blumberg presented Ford with the first award of the organization’s Bicentennial Commemorative Medal and a special certificate bearing excerpts of President Washington’s letter to the Touro congregation in Newport, R.I. Blumberg said, “Mr. President, you are an example of George Washington himself.”
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